woodland shrub
Salmonberry
Rubus spectabilis
1 of 2Native to Alaska, California, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington and southern Canada
Southern coastal Alaska to northwestern California; rarely east of the Cascade crest to Bonner County, Idaho
- Light Full sun to shade Sun tolerance
- Moisture Moist Moisture preference
- Zones 3–10 Cold to heat range
- Bloom Mar–Jun Flowering time
- Height up to 12 ft to 3.7 m
- Life cycle Perennial Annual to perennial
In the garden
A woodland shrub for sun through shade and evenly moist soil. At up to 12 ft, it needs room in shade gardens and woodland edges. Hardy in USDA zones 3–10.
Growing conditions
Light
Full sun Partial shade Full shade
Moisture
Dry Moist Wet
Hardiness zones
Find your zone:
Pollinators & wildlife
- Bees Yellow-faced Bumble Bee
also Western Honey Bee, Black-tailed Bumble Bee, Fuzzy-Horned Bumble Bee +53 more
Orange-legged Furrow Bee, Yellow-fronted Bumble Bee, Yellowish Cuckoo Bumble bee, Sitka Bumble Bee, Van Dyke's Bumble Bee, Lucorum-group Bumble Bees, Cresson's Mining Bee, Patchwork Leafcutter Bee, Little Masked Bee, Common Masked Bee, Buff-tailed Bumble Bee, Little Blue Carpenter Bee, Short-fringed Miner, Common Furrow Bee, Osmia tristella, Red-tailed Bumble Bee, Flavous Nomad Bee, Shaggy Furrow Bee, Osmia pusilla, Green-eyed Flower Bee, Peaceful Sweat Bee, Partly-haired Miner Bee, Osmia dolerosa, Lasioglossum zonulum, Coelioxys inermis, Rufescent Sharp-tail Bee, European Yellow Loosestrife Bee, Wood-carving Leafcutter Bee, Tree Bumble Bee, Red-tailed Mason Bee, Bicoloured Miner, Common Miniature Mining Bee, Fork-tailed Flower Bee, Cliff Mining Bee, Garden Bumble Bee, Small Flecked Mining Bee, Painted Mining Bee, White-jawed Yellow-face Bee, Gooden's Nomad Bee, Vestal Cuckoo Bumble bee, Early Mining Bee, Forest Cuckoo Bumble bee, Large Gorse Mining Bee, Large Meadow Mining Bee, Shingle Yellow-face Bee, Common Pantaloon Bee, Common Carder Bumble Bee, Silvery Leafcutter Bee, Field Cuckoo Bumble bee, Early Bumble Bee, Washington Miner Bee, Fog-belt Bumble Bee, Shifty Miner Bee - Flower flies Black-margined Flower Fly also Variable Duskyface Fly, Common Dainty, Western Pond Fly
- Beetles Asian Lady Beetle also Coreopsis Beetle, Evodinus monticola vancouveri, Western Polished Lady Beetle
- Also visited by
- Butterflies: Western Tiger Swallowtail, Margined White
- Hummingbirds: Anna's Hummingbird
Butterflies that use this plant
Documented host and nectar records. Each links to a planting guide for that butterfly.
Full plant details
Where it grows
- Habitat
- WoodlandThe wild plant community it grows in.
- Native range
- Alaska, California, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington and southern CanadaUnited States (5): AK, CA, ID, OR, WA. Canada (1): BC. Where it grows wild on its own, by state and province.
- Native distribution
- Southern coastal Alaska to northwestern California; rarely east of the Cascade crest to Bonner County, IdahoThe same native range, usually more exact than the state list, and often noting where it has spread beyond it.
Growing conditions
- Light
- Full sun to shadeHow much sun it takes, from full sun to full shade.
- Moisture
- MoistThe soil dampness it prefers, from dry to wet.
- Hardiness zones
- USDA 3–10 · Canadian 1–9The cold-to-heat climate range it survives.
- Soil
- Moist to drier soilsThe soils it grows in naturally.
- Soil texture
- Light to heavy (sandy to clay)The soil grade it prefers, from sand to clay.
- Soil pH
- 5.7–7.2The acidity to alkalinity it tolerates (7 is neutral).
- Soil quality
- LowHow rich a soil it needs. Many natives prefer lean soil and flop in rich beds.
- Water use
- MediumHow thirsty it is, a rough guide to how often to water.
- Salinity tolerance
- NoneHow well it copes with salty soil, near roads or the coast.
- Lime (CaCO₃) tolerance
- MediumHow well it copes with chalky, lime-rich soil.
Growth & form
- Height
- up to 12 ft (to 3.7 m)Typical mature height.
- Spread
- ~3 ft (1 m)How wide one plant gets, a guide to spacing.
- Life cycle
- PerennialWhether it lives a single season (annual), two (biennial), or returns for years (perennial).
- Growth rate
- ModerateA relative ranking versus other plants of the same type (USDA), not an absolute rate.
- Shape
- Semi-ErectIts overall silhouette.
- Root depth
- 10+ in (25+ cm)How far the roots reach, a guide to drought resilience and transplanting.
Flowers, foliage & fruit
- Type
- ShrubWhat kind of plant it is.
- Bloom
- Mar–JunWhen it flowers.
- Flower color
- Red, Pink, PurpleThe bloom color, or colors.
- Toxicity
- None knownWhether any part is poisonous to people or pets.
Propagation & seed
- Cold stratification
- Not requiredWhether seed needs a cold, moist spell before it will germinate.
- Propagation
- Bare root, container, cuttings, seedHow to start new plants.
- Seed
- ~0.1 million seeds per poundNotes on the seed and how to sow it.
- Seed spread rate
- SlowHow readily it self-sows. Slow or none means well-behaved, not a spreader.
- Seedling vigor
- LowHow strongly young seedlings establish.
- Vegetative spread
- SlowWhether it creeps outward or stays put in a clump.